John Hughes changed your life.

When I read that John Hughes had died, I wasn’t immediately struck by any immediate feeling of loss. But looking over his immense list of credits on the IMDB, I was surprised by how many of his films were touchstones in my life. Home Alone was one of the first films I recall as an event in my childhood, where everyone in my third grade class had seen it and loved it. Some kid even pissed his pants during it. For a while, he had the magic touch. Many of his films still bring me fond memories. Dutch, with Ed O’Neil attempting to muffle fireworks with his jacket and getting the back blown out. Uncle Buck, where John Candy tells the asshole boyfriend to wait a minute while he gets an ax out of his trunk. Planes, Trains, and Automobiles, you know the scene. They weren’t pillows. As a writer and director, John Hughes influenced an entire generation to buck authority, embrace their individual spirit, and maim house thieves. He will be missed.